


Bonfire

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-23 18:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11407623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: The Midsummer bonfire pulls Ydris into a memory he'd rather forget.





	Bonfire

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for Jack swearing and a witch being burnt at the stake.

Unlike every single other resident in Jorvik who claimed that they could see the Midsummer pole from anywhere in the Silverglade region, Ydris actually could see it. His Pandorian eye enabled him to see through time and space, as he’d told Jack many times. He’d used this power to save Jack several times, though he tried not to pry into his boyfriend’s life. He respected his boyfriend’s privacy too much to do that.

“I hate this time of year,” said Ydris as he stood outside his wagon, glaring in the direction of the festivities.

“So do I,” said Jack. But he could tell, by the pensive look on his boyfriend’s face, that there was more to it. “Can I ask why?”

“Tell me, Jack, did Steve tell you what the bonfire’s purpose was once upon a time?” asked Ydris.

“Yeah,” said Jack. “Burning paper… oh. Shit. Did they burn one of your friends on the bonfire?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” said Ydris. He looked far away, and Jack grabbed hold of his boyfriend’s hand and squeezed it. Ydris didn’t usually get so down about his past, though Jack knew that he must have some bad memories.

“You don’t have to say,” said Jack. “Don’t let my stupid-ass questions get you down.”

“No, no, you’re my boyfriend, you deserve to know,” said Ydris. He wrapped his fingers around Jack’s hand, grateful for the emotional support. “It was… my mother. She was a witch, and… they didn’t always burn paper witches, you know. It used to be so much more barbaric.” He clenched his free hand into a fist, trembling with barely-suppressed rage.

“Fuck, Ydris, I had no idea,” said Jack. He tried to pull his boyfriend away, to break the line of sight between him and the pole, but Ydris was rooted to the spot. Now Jack knew what had happened. His boyfriend was stuck in a memory, of a time and place that was long gone, and Jack couldn’t follow him there. He could only hold tightly to his boyfriend and try to pull him back to the present.

_Just as he did every time this happened, Ydris wasn’t aware that he was falling into the memory until he’d fallen. Now, he was at a midsummer bonfire centuries ago, pushing through the crowd, trying to get people to get out of his way so he could break free of the crowd and save her._

_Cheering. Chanting._

_“Burn the witch! Burn the witch! Burn her! Burn her!”_

_“No!” Ydris tried to push forward, but there were too many people. Everyone was standing on tiptoes to see, and he was such a short little boy. The wizard’s top hat that his mother had given him was knocked from his head and quickly crushed underfoot. But Ydris didn’t notice. He finally succeeded in shoving his way to the front of the crowd, and… and…_

_He was too late. The fire had been lit. Her hair was burning, her skin was burning, the scorched scent of burning flesh invaded the air, and Ydris screamed for her, tears streaming down his face._

_“Mama! Mama!” He was screaming and crying in the waking world too, but he’d only know later._

Jack bit his lip and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, burying his head in his chest.

“Come back, Ydris, come on,” said Jack, trying to drag his boyfriend away. He pushed on Ydris’ chest, but it was like trying to move a brick wall.

_Ydris wasn’t the only one screaming in terror. His mother was screaming too, or as much as she could with flames devouring her. Ydris tried to throw himself forward, but someone grabbed him by the shoulder._

_“Oh ho, be careful there,” said an older man. “That fire’ll eat you up too, boy.”_

_“Let me save my mother!” Ydris cried, reaching out to her. “Mama!”_

_Flames roared, people screamed and cheered, stars swirled overhead, and Ydris lost his mother forever. When everyone left, he picked up his crushed hat and held it mournfully. A crushed five leaf clover hung limply from it. The last thing she’d left him, and… and he’d destroyed it, casting it aside in a foolish pursuit to save her. He knelt on the cold grass, sobbing and cradling his crushed hat._

_“Ydris.” He looked up at a woman made of starlight. Her feet didn’t touch the ground, and her form was as intangible as the mists beginning to wreath the countryside in the early morning._

_“Mama?” Ydris whispered, reaching for her._

_“Sh. I can’t stay for long,” said his mother._

_“Mama, they burned you,” said Ydris. “They killed you.” An incorporeal hand brushed his cheek, sending tingles of cold through his face._

_“I know,” said his mother. “But at least you’re safe, my precious boy.”_

_“What will I do now?” Ydris whimpered. “You’re gone, mama.”_

_“You listen to me, my boy,” said his mother, gently taking the hat from him. As she smoothed her hands over it, the hat reformed into its proper shape. “You are going to be fantastic. The greatest magician the world has ever seen. I know you will.” She placed the hat back on his head. “My Ydris. Your magic will enchant, it will inspire, it will show the world that magic is not to be feared.” She deftly plucked a five leaf clover, which she had often found in life, and placed it in the band of his hat._

_“Will I ever see you again, mama?” asked Ydris._

_“Yes,” said his mother. “You will see me in the stars, and in every five leaf clover. And I will be at every single one of your shows. You might not see me, but I’ll be there.” She smiled at him. “I promise.”_

_And she kissed his forehead, and was gone._

Ydris found himself falling when he came out of the memory, but he let himself fall. Jack landed on top of him, but Ydris didn’t even care. He barely felt it.

“I’ll take that fucking pole down myself if I have to,” said Jack, beginning to get up. But Ydris wrapped his arms around him and pulled his boyfriend close.

“No, don’t you dare go near that evil site,” said Ydris, still trembling with fear and rage. His vision was still blurry with tears, too, and he could feel the phantom heat of the flames.

“If it makes you relive the death of your mother, then it has to go,” said Jack. “It and the fuckers who decided to burn witches in the first place.”

“Jack, you don’t need to get angry on my behalf,” said Ydris.

“Well, someone has to!” said Jack. “I just… I just can’t bear to see you so upset.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Ydris, rubbing Jack’s back. “It’s only for a few weeks, and then that pole goes down.”

“Have you ever thought of removing it yourself?” asked Jack.

“I can’t even look at it,” said Ydris. “I don’t know why I did today, I guess I was just in a mood.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to my world,” said Jack, rolling his eyes. He put his head on Ydris’ chest, enjoying the feeling of his boyfriend rubbing his back.

In past years, Ydris had had no one to turn to when memories of the past had reared up and threatened to drag him under. He’d just come back to himself, standing and staring at whatever had brought on the memory, and then he’d lock himself away in his wagon for a while and wallow in misery. But now he had Jack, and… and he wanted to be Jack’s shining beacon of hope and happiness in the bleak world Jack lived in. 

“I may have lost my mother,” said Ydris, the words hard to say. “But I still have you. And I know that I can keep you with me.”

“I want to stay with you now,” said Jack. “I’m past that shit, that was ages ago. I’ll always be with you now.” He crawled up Ydris’ chest and pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes against the pink, swirling light that surrounded one eye. And then Ydris kissed him, trying to banish the sadness that threatened to drag him under.


End file.
